{"id":3420,"date":"2020-04-30T03:52:29","date_gmt":"2020-04-30T02:52:29","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/globalindianstories.com\/?p=3420"},"modified":"2020-05-04T11:29:54","modified_gmt":"2020-05-04T10:29:54","slug":"lockdown-diaries-children-express-themselves-in-the-times-of-corona","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/globalindianstories.org\/index.php\/2020\/04\/30\/lockdown-diaries-children-express-themselves-in-the-times-of-corona\/","title":{"rendered":"Lockdown Diaries: Children express themselves in the times of Corona"},"content":{"rendered":"

Children in times of Corona is one example of challenging usual pathways. It started as an idea to create an intercultural digital space that then expanded even further as a platform to co-create, co-produce creative content with children between the age of five and fifteen, mainly working with South-Asian community, nurseries and schools in United Kingdom. We understand the challenges that many parents face, balancing between working from home and parenting.<\/p>\n

In response to the need for positive action during the COVID-19 Pandemic we have successfully launched a virtual \u2018Children\u2019s Stories\u2019 platform for parents to enable their children to express themselves mainly through drawings and writing their stories. It has been very well received particularly by care homes, frontline Doctors working in the NHS who have gone on to express, to the administrators of the online platform, the power of this platform allowing them a \u2018breathing space\u2019 after returning home from the most difficult work situations they have experienced in their careers\/life, by being able to spend time with their children allowing them to destress a little and taking away the horror of the internal turmoil and fatigue that inevitably shows on their faces.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/span>Children taking part have shown so much enthusiasm and kindness towards key workers, nature and simple things in life in their submissions making this initiative a great success. In a short space of four weeks we have over 800 followers and \u2018likes\u2019 on our Facebook page posts and continue to receive excellent creations from children.<\/p>\n

We are developing short digital stories in times of Corona with all the excellent art works that will stay forever in our digital memory box to remind us of the time and how we coped through creative expressions. These little creations are bringing happiness to the families and children. In our page we have children reading stories, producing origami works, singing, dancing for children. Parents coming back with great ideas of co-creation.<\/span><\/p>\n

There are digital stories on little ones painting walls, helping at home, gardening, clearing rubbish, recycling. These are wonderful examples of sustainable living and brings back the hope that we are all looking forward to. These historical creations evidence the connection between creative arts, media and mental wellness. Parents can download and have as a \u2018keep sake\u2019 for the future and to share with their grandparents, children and other family, crossing borders.<\/p>\n

The project is not only creating happiness but will feed into the governmental and non-governmental policies in the future in connection to town planning and help build the pathways to resilience. The project teaches us to understand life and different aspects of resilience in context of crisis and national emergencies by combining multi-disciplinary research lenses. We need strong digital societies led by communities who come together to reflect on our similarities.<\/p>\n

\"\"We are collaborating with Celebrate our Similarities (COS), an ambitious project that aims to provide an unbiased open platform to explore shared human priorities and needs in the most diverse city in the UK, Leicester also including the surrounding county and Rutland.<\/span> Examining how as a human society we can choose to recognise our shared similarities, working within two broad areas,<\/span> well-being and climate change. <\/span><\/p>\n

COS organises activities and promotes actions,\u00a0whilst campaigning for issues such as clean air, reducing the use of plastics, raising awareness of food production and wastage, water preservation, promoting mental wellbeing and personal peace. Encouraging the public through individual and collective actions to be deserving custodians of our future generations\u2019 heritage, that is planet Earth. <\/span><\/p>\n

We are planning to run a digital exhibition, following our call for another round of creative work on planet Earth (April 22-April 26, 2020). The response has been fantastic so far as you can see from the artwork below.<\/span> In the coming weeks, COS will be capturing narratives from common people as audio podcasts, in an endeavour to understand how the pandemic is impacting daily life of individuals.<\/span><\/p>\n\r\n